Sam I Am wrote:I'm alternating between two books, one fiction, and one that would make me much happier if it was a book of fiction.

My fiction read is by Jonathan Kellerman, one of my favorite who-done-it authors. This time around Lt. Sturgis and Doctor Delaware are trying to find a serial killer, and the body count is rising, in Victims. The Kellerman family of authors also includes wife Faye, son Jesse, and daughter (her name escapes me for now). The daughter is young, and hasn't written any books geared toward adult readers, to my knowledge, yet. The son and wife are fine authors in their own right.

My non-fiction read is by Charles Murray, and is titled Coming Apart - The State of White America, 1960-2010. The book discusses the growing divide in how upper class and lower class Americans are separated by much more than just income, as they have so little in common today vs 50-60 years ago. Depressing reading with more than a little truth in his observations.

Moral Landscape by Sam Harris. Argues for a science of morality based on neuroscience and scientific discoveries on the horizon. Views aspects of traditional religious and moral codes as confining and often detrimental to humanity. Well written.

“The only freedom that is of enduring importance is freedom of intelligence…”

Having finally finished the long 1975 "Thurber," a somewhat disappointing James Thurber bio (but a fun explanation of how the Thurber cartoon dog came to bear the drooping head of a bloodhound and squat legs of a basset hound), and being a third of the way in on the long "Alexander Hamilton" by Ron Chernow, I took a break with "Fables and Fairy Tales" by Tolstoy. I liked them all, but I'm certain the Bogleheads would especially like the one titled, "Equal Inheritance," about a father who has two sons, but plans to give all of his money to the son he favors.

Also am high up on library list and eagerly awaiting Eric Kandel's new book, "The Age of Insight: The Quest to Understand the Unconscious in Art, Mind, and Brain, from Vienna 1900 to the Present."

I read Chernow's Alexander Hamilton about six years ago. Terrific read. I just recently Chernow's The Warburgs. Also a terrific read. The guy can write. His book on George Washington is on my "To-Read" list.

gkaplan wrote:I read Chernow's Alexander Hamilton about six years ago. Terrific read. I just recently Chernow's The Warburgs. Also a terrific read. The guy can write. His book on George Washington is on my "To-Read" list.

I'm glad to hear you liked it so much and I agree he can write. I was hooked after reading just the first sentence in the Prologue, which puts you right in the scene (I'm feel like I'm standing outside the house, watching the old widow knit and arrange flowers). I had a similar feeling reading the first sentence of "John Adams," by David McCullough, another good writer and great bio.

I just finished "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business" by Charles Duhigg. The author discusses a bit of brain science, memory and habit. He describes how habit led to one woman's gambling addiction, how retailers analyze our buying habits to increase our spending, and if/how we can replace bad habits with positive ones.

I'm halfway through this book... liking it very much.

This is a good companion read to Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow.

-- Cinghiale
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| "We don't see things as they are; we see them as we are." Anais Nin

Peter Schweizer's Throw Them All Out. Schweizer exposes the advantages of politicians trading on inside information. His expose on 60 Minutes, in Newsweek, and with this NYT's bestseller is MUST reading1

Calhoon wrote:Anyone know of any good authros who write in a style similar to McCarthy's later books. By that I mean stark, little to no detail, no interspection. I'm amazed at how he does with so little.

Not quite as minimalist, but you might enjoy Philipp Meyer's American Rust, which came out a few years back to very positive reviews. He's also got another book coming out this fall called The Son.

I just finished Shogun by James Clavell, and am now working my way through Hyperion by Dan Simmons, along with the Art of War, which the eBook I have of is not in a very legible format and has lead to me reading it in tiny bits and pieces over a very long span of time for such a short book.

Valuethinker wrote:Besides the incredibly well known 'I Claudius' by Robert Graves, he also wrote 'Count Belisarius' about what might have been the greatest general in history (certainly up there).

If this were readily available, it would be the first book of historical fiction I have ever picked up.

Procopius's history of the Gothic wars is free, though, so I am reading that. I first read about Belisarius in Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Despite the fact that Gibbon is writing a serious history, he refers to Belisarius as "the hero."

Valuethinker wrote:Besides the incredibly well known 'I Claudius' by Robert Graves, he also wrote 'Count Belisarius' about what might have been the greatest general in history (certainly up there).

If this were readily available, it would be the first book of historical fiction I have ever picked up.

Procopius's history of the Gothic wars is free, though, so I am reading that. I first read about Belisarius in Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Despite the fact that Gibbon is writing a serious history, he refers to Belisarius as "the hero."

The L Sprague De Camp 'Lest Darkness Fall' is a historical fiction (an American archaeologist from 1940 winds up in Justinian Rome) where Belisarius plays a walk on part-- I don't think it has ever been out of print in the last 60+ years. The follow-ons from that are the series by Harry Turtledove 'Videssos': Turtledove was inspired to do a Phd in Byzantine history by reading De Camp, and Videssos is a thinly disguised byzantium.

Eric Flint and David Drake have made Belisarius the central hero in a 6 novel cycle -- not as well written but fun if you like military history mash-ups.

If you don't like Fantasy and Science Fiction then I can still recommend De Camp as being historically insightful and funny-- best intro to Visigothic Rome you'll ever get.

Anyone know of any good authros who write in a style similar to McCarthy's later books. By that I mean stark, little to no detail, no interspection. I'm amazed at how he does with so little.

I'm assuming you've read his Border Trilogy: All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, and Cities of the Plain. McCarthy is one of my favorite fiction authors; sounds like you, too.

Cormac McCarthy is a great author. Right, "Blood Meridian" is his best but not for everyone. His view of humanity appears to be very dark. His Border Trilogy was superb except in my opinion the final one, "Cities of the Plain," was not as good as the previous 2.

I loved how the movie "No Country For Old Men" mirrored the book.

As to your question on authors who are like McCarthy, I wish I knew. Currently, he seems to be the only one. Also, I wasn't impressed with "The Road."

I hadn't read it when it was first out, heard an interview witn the author on the radio a few days ago and it sounded like it would be very interesting.

Wow! Seems like forever since I last thought about this one. Read it when first published and for many, many years considered it my favorite baseball book. I'm delighted to hear that Bouton is out there and, to borrow the words of ESPN's Tony Kornheiser, "still gettin' it done."

I just finished "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business" by Charles Duhigg. The author discusses a bit of brain science, memory and habit. He describes how habit led to one woman's gambling addiction, how retailers analyze our buying habits to increase our spending, and if/how we can replace bad habits with positive ones.

I'm halfway through this book... liking it very much.

This is a good companion read to Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow.

I'll add that one to my list, as I am not familiar with it/have not read it.

Am currently into a re-reading of "The Frontiersmen: A Narrative" by Allan W. Eckert. It is a "novelized" history of the early years of the country and the first volume of his Pulitzer nominated series "The Winning of America". Eckert has a unique ability to bring history to life through reconstructed dialogue while maintaining a strict adherence to historical accuracy of events.

Just finished the entire 50+ issues for Y The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan. A story about a boy becoming a man. It's a comic and better than most of the fiction I've ever read. Now, I'm starting America's Longest War by Steven B. Duke and Albert C. Gross. Its about the war on drugs. An older book, but more relevant than ever. Just got a new Samsung tablet and reading these on the Kindle App. So much for my kids using the tablet...

I just finished "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business" by Charles Duhigg. The author discusses a bit of brain science, memory and habit. He describes how habit led to one woman's gambling addiction, how retailers analyze our buying habits to increase our spending, and if/how we can replace bad habits with positive ones.

I'm halfway through this book... liking it very much.

This is a good companion read to Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow.

Both books are very similar to 'You are not so smart'. I enjoyed and would recommend all three of these books.